1. Field
The subject invention is in the field of devices and apparatus which produce a flame suitable for lighting a fire, a gas stove, an alcohol burner and the like. More specifically it is in the field of electrically powered flame producers and, still more specifically, battery powered flame producers.
2. Prior art
While there is much prior art in the field of electrically powered flame producers, there is no prior art hand-held battery powered flame producer using disposable flamestrips known to the inventor of the subject invention, in spite of the clear advantages such a flame producer would provide to people already provided with batteries for other purposes such as lighting and radio power. The life threatening dangers of being stranded in the wilderness without the means of igniting a fire is a dire situation outdoorspeople such as hikers, hunters and campers diligently seek to avoid. For this reason outdoorspeople normally always carry matches and butane lighters. These are adequate fire starters as long as they work well and are on hand. But if matches get damp they will not strike and a butane lighter may run out of butane, and will not ignite. When this happens, the outdoorsperson needs a convenient, dependable, fast means of starting a fire. A hiker, hunter or camper who is lost or stranded in the woods in cold weather may quickly die from hypothermia if unable to start a fire for warmth and/or signaling.
The problem of making fire without matches has been partially solved in various ways over many years by commonly known methods such as flint and steel with sparks struck into dry tender or strong sunlight concentrated by a magnifying glass onto paper. To improve on these time consuming and uncertain techniques other means have been devised in more recent times. The following fire starting means have been found in a patent search related to the subject invention:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,466,779 PA1 Sep. 4, 1923 PA1 A. E. Anakin PA1 Combined Cigar Lighter and Flash Light PA1 Filed Mar. 15, 1922 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,280,601 PA1 Oct. 25, 1966 PA1 S. Ostrow PA1 Metal Foil Flashlight PA1 Filed Dec. 13, 1960 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 453,456 PA1 Jun. 2, 1891 PA1 Automatic Lighting Device PA1 C. H. Wolf, Zwikau, Germany PA1 Filed Aug. 20, 1890 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,971 PA1 Mar.28, 1989 PA1 Kurt L. Chin, Taiwan PA1 Flashlight with Built-in Lighter PA1 Filed May 10, 1988 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,346,325 PA1 Apr. 11, 1944 PA1 G. F. N. Oliver, London, England PA1 Light Bouy PA1 Filed Aug. 26, 1941 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,305 PA1 Feb. 19, 1980 PA1 William J. Clayton, Fairport, N.Y. PA1 Smokeless Fire Kindling Device PA1 Filed Jul. 27, 1978 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,056,701 PA1 Oct. 2, 1962 PA1 Thomas L. Fritzlen, Mooreland Farms, Va. PA1 Combustion System Comprising Metal Foil PA1 and Solid Perchlorate PA1 Filed Apr. 30, 1958 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,820 PA1 Yutaka Shimoji, Clearwater, Fla. PA1 Laser Cigarette Lighter PA1 Filed Dec. 13, 1991
Whatever the precise merits, features and advantages of the above cited references, none of them achieves or fulfills the primary objective of the present invention which objective is to provide a plurality of electrically energizable flame producers contained in a cassette attachable to a conventional flashlight so that the flashlight serves for lighting as usual and for flame production, each flamestrip expending itself in use and being disposable. A second objective is provision of apparatus for storing, dispensing and using flamestrips independently of a flashlight or with a flashlight. Another objective is that the invention be safe in that inadvertent ignition of flamestrips is not possible.